By Ilina Stoyanova The second semester of her junior year “Writing has always been my passion.” Mila Mladenov is a graduating senior from Dimitrovgrad, Serbia. She is majoring in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, and Journalism and Mass Communication. In her first two years, Mila was part of the Broadway Performance Club. She was a back vocal in the musical “Hair” and was supposed to be one in the production of “Rent”. Sadly, “Rent” did not come to life because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mila loved being part of “Hair,” as she saw what one could do on stage. At first, she found it tough but she was really dedicated to the whole idea. Taking part in the musical was the highlight of her freshman year. “It was something incredible to feel and experience. I do not think I will ever forget it.” was filled with courses that required creativity, like Digital Storytelling, Advertising, and Creative Writing Fiction. They all pushed her towards exploring different ways of expressing herself and sharing important messages. “Creative Writing Fiction with professor Cohen was really encouraging to be in. We got really inspired as we saw that we could do it.” The whole course was structured as a workshop. Throughout the entire semester, Mila and her colleagues had to write two stories. They also did critiques for the stories of the other people in the class. “Every person in that class had read what I had written and I had read all of their stuff as well. There were discussions and critiques of our own pieces, which was really intimidating at first, but fruitful in the end.” Mila did not join any club during her senior year as well. However, she has always wanted to leave something behind ever since she was a freshman. She did not have the courage then, but this year it was different. Professor Cohen’s course served as inspiration for Mila and many others. They wanted to do something together again after the end of the class. And they did. They created an anthology called “My Third Skin.” People were excited about the idea and Mila during a performance. Photo courtesy of Yenlik O’Neill. Her favorite moments from the whole experience were the ones after the shows. “This is when everyone is crying and hugging each other. It is just the moment that you realize that you are probably never going to be able to explain to anyone else what you have done together. It is inexplicable for people who are not in it.” After “Rent” did not happen in her sophomore year, she was no longer in the club as a junior. She was mostly at home as university life continued online. This was when she dedicated herself to the academic aspect of AUBG. She took courses that allowed her to explore her interests and capabilities. 10 SPRING 2022 | AUBG DAILY Mila did not find difficulty with convincing people to get on board. “The аnthology consists of poems and short stories. Besides that, we have illustrations for each piece. What makes it different from other books that were created in this university is the fact that we also incorporated music. At the end of each piece, there is a Spotify QR code with a symbol that corresponds to the story in a way.” Figuring out the theme for the anthology was a long process, according to Mila. It had to be broad enough so there could be all kinds of stories, but also focused on something specific. In the end, “My Third Skin” was suggested by one of the project’s producer and designer, Dulamsuren Amarsanaa. “Everyone was obliged to ask themselves what the third skin is for them. How I understood the theme was that the first layer of the skin is the actual organ that is the skin. The second layer is the personality that one has or the soul. And the third one is something additional to the soul. Something that makes a person who they really are, like something very distinct that maybe nobody ever knows, but that they always feel. “ Mila believes that each person has a different third skin. “For some it is growth. For others it may be self-discovery or dealing with heartbreak. It is a very emotionally focused theme that allowed us to create depth within our pieces.” 19 people were involved in the creation of “My Third Skin.” There were six writers for the short fiction stories, seven for the poems, and six artists. After publishing the anthology and graduating AUBG, Mila is planning to go to a Work & Travel program in the U.S. before beginning her Master’s degree. She has an offer from a university in Dublin. She chose the city deliberately as she believes that it is an urban city with a mix of music and nature. She wanted to go to a place that is out of her comfort zone. From her time at AUBG, Mila learned that telling ideas and stories is important. Her advice to incoming freshmen is to let go and enjoy themselves. Cover of “My Third Skin”. Photo courtesy of Ilina Stoyanova.
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